Apparatus for removing leaves from gutters



Dec. 31, 1957 H. c. BUGBIRD 2,817,867

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LEAVES FROM GUTTERS Filed Jan. 13, 1953 INVENTOR. v

AT TOR NE Y5 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LEAVES FROM GUTTERS Herbert CopelinBugbird, Summit, N. J. Application January 13,1953, Serial No.-331,083

4 Claims. (31. 15-172 v This invention relates to. apparatus for removing leaves from the gutters .ofhouse roofs.

Unless leaves are; removed,.-they: mat down into water.- proof massesthat-clog gutters and downspoutsor, leaders. Usually \the cleaning. out. of house gutters. is 1a time-consuming and difiicult'joba. Wh'enza ladder is 1-used, it must bemoved to many different locations,and theperson doing the job has to climb up and; down .the ladder at each new location.

It is an object of the -:inv,ention:to: provide :improved apparatus by whichxhouse gutters.;can {be .cleaned of leaves by a man standing on the: ground. The apparatus is simple and inexpensive in construction; and: itpcan be used conveniently, andreffectively; without; previous.:expenence.

Other. objects, 2 featureswand advantages zof thednvention will appear or be pointed out as theldescription proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a parthereofl-in which like reference characters indicate. corresponding parts in all the .views,

Figure 1 is a view showing the way, in which the invention is used for cleaning roof jgutters at-diiiei-ent heights. from the ground;

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged viewof thescleaning apparatus shown in' Figure, 1;-

Figure 3 is a fragmentary viewshowing the.-way .in whichjthe cleaning apparatus of FigureZ fits into .a gutter, when in use;

Figure 4 is an-end-view-of the apparatus shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a different cleaning device which may be used in place of the brush, shown in Figures 24;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the projection, on a vertical plane, of the arc of swing of the cleaning tool when in operation; and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the projection, on a horizontal plane, of the path of swing of the cleaning tool.

Figure 1 shows a house 10, with a roof gutter 11 at a relatively high level, and another roof gutter 12 at a much lower level on a lean-to extension of the house. The cleaning apparatus includes a support 15 comprising a handle 17 and an extension 18 which are held and manipulated by an operator 20, standing on the ground at a short distance out from the wall of the house.

The extension 18 is preferably of composite construction, consisting of separate lengths of tubing 18 which can be connected together to increase the length of the extension so as to reach higher gutters, when necessary. In the construction shown in Figure 2, the handle 17 screws into the lower length of tube 18', and the separate lengths of tubing are connected together by screw threads, but other kinds of connections can be used.

At the upper end of the extension 18, there is a bracket rigidly connected to the extension. This bracket includes ice 2 a head 21 and tool holder23, the-latterxbeing connected torthe head byv a pivot connection 24, and ithisholderw23 carries a'tool which serves as acleaning devicefo'rth gutter. Figures 2'4 shoW-a cleaning wdevicewrconsisting of a brush 25, but with leaves. and .other; tmaterial wh'ich has not become matted-:down on; the xbottorn: of;.'the gutter, a wire loop .26 (Figure 5) servesas :an adequate tool or cleaning device: for.removing the: leaves ancli'similar loose smateria'l. Referringagain to: Figure 2,. the holder 23 and brush 25. swing as a unitna'bout'the pivot connection 24. The direction of this; swinging movement is in a plane co-incidentzwith 'or parallel to razplane through the longitudinal axis of theasupport 15... The holder 23 and brush 25 :are held inany desired-adjusted position by a stud 28 t-and wingnut 29. The 'stud 28 extends from the holder 23 through a slot30 in the head 21. The nut 29, on the opposite side of the -head from the holder 23, clamps the holder 23 against th'e head 21 so that the holder is held against-relative movementby friction against the head.

It is a feature of thisinvention that'theholder 23,' and the support comprising 'the head 21, extension 18-and handle 17 are a substantially rigid unit when the holder is secured in any adjusted position; The support has a longitudinal axis which extends 'at'a substantial angle. to both the-horizontal and vertical when the invention isrin use. It is also a feature of the invention that the support and in the construction illustrated, the head "21" ct -the bracket has a bottom surface which extends across the outer edge 32- (Figure 3) of the gutter; The-apparatus is operated by moving the brush'25jor-other tool, along the length of-the gutter 'to accumulate leaves, orother material, in front ofthe brush. Theoperator then rotates the support 18 about its longitudinal axis to cause the brush to raise the leaves, or other material, up and over theforward edge with a sort of spooning motion.

The holder 23 is adjusted, aboutits pivot connection 24, so that the brush 25," or other tool, extends'downwardly and inwardly withrespect tothe gutter; The reason for the adjustability of the invention is to enable the same apparatus to be used with gutters of difierent size and shape, though for a particular house" owner, it is. sutficient to make one initial and permanent" adjustment of the angle of the brush for. theparticular' style "and size of roof gutter on his house.

Some resilience is permissible in the tool th'at'servesas a cleaning device, but only a limited amount of resilience, because the tool must swing through an are about the longitudinal axis of the support in order to obtain the spooning action of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

While the apparatus is being moved along the gutter to accumulate a pile of leaves ahead of the brush, the support may rest on the outer edge 32 of the gutter, or may be spaced some distance above the outer or top front edge of the gutter, depending upon the way in which the operator holds the support and whether the brush is in a vertical position or dragging at an angle to the bottom of the gutter. When the operator turns the handle about its longitudinal axis, to swing the brush for spooning leaves over the side of the gutter, the sloping portion of the support above the gutter edge 32 will contact with the gutter edge and serve as a bearing on which the entire apparatus rocks While the leaves are being raised and spooned over the edge of the gutter. Thus the surface of the apparatus that contacts with the top front edge of the gutter provides a bearing on which the apparatus rocks to give the cleaning device or brush 25 an angular movement about an axis of rotation extending in substantially the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the handle projection.

This swinging movement of the brush, or other tool, is best understood by reference to Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 6 is a diagram looking at the gutter 12 from the front. As the extension 18 isrotated about its longitiidinal axis, the holder 23 swings the lower end of the brush; or the tool, through an are 35' which is elliptical inthe vertical projection shown in Figure 6. This diagram brings out the way in which the brush or other tool swings upwardly on a long are with respect to the vertical.

Figure 7 is a diagram looking down on the gutter 12.

As'the extension 18 swings about its longitudinal axis, the motion of the lower end of the cleaning tool is along the' are 35 which is elliptical in its horizontal projection. This view brings out the way in which the tool moves toward the front of the gutter 12 and over the side of the gutter as the tool moves upwardly.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, but changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

W 1. Cleaning apparatus for removing leaves and other obstructions from a roof gutter which has a top front edge extending substantially parallel to an adjacent wall of a house, said apparatusincluding a handle with a long projection for reaching up to the gutter from the ground, the handle projection reaching upwardly across the top front edge of the gutter and having a longitudinal axis diverging downwardly away from said wall at a substantial angle to the vertical when the cleaning apparatus is in working position, a head connected to the upper end of the handle projection, a cleaning device attached to the head, a bearing on the cleaning apparatus near the upper end of the handle projection and in position to be brought into contact with the top front edge of the gutter, the bearing being unobstructed for free rocking movement on said top front edge about an axis of rotation extending in substantially the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the projection of the handle and in response to oscillation of the handle projection about its longitudinal axis, the cleaning device extending from the head downwardly into the gutter and as far as the bottom of the gutter when the handle is in one angular position about the longitudinal axis of the handle projection, and said cleaning device having a front-to-back dimension, in the direction of the extent of the gutter, less than the up-and-down length of the cleaning device and connections securing the handle, projection, head and cleaning device together into a unitary structure whereby oscillation of the handle and the projection about the longitudinal axis of said handle projection produces corresponding angular movement of the cleaning device about said axis of rotation extending in substantially the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the handle projection whereby the cleaning device moves with a single compound movement having a forward-andaft component that lifts the leaves from the bottom of the gutter, and a transverse component that lifts the cleaning device and the leaves over the top front edge of the gutter.

2. The cleaning apparatus for roof gutters described in claim 1 and in which the vertical extent of the cleaning device below the level of said bearing is somewhat greater than the depth of the gutter in which the apparatus is intended to be used so that the bearing is above the edge of the gutter when the apparatus is in working position and the cleaning device is disposed in a plane substantially normal 'to the wall of the house whereby the bearing on which the apparatus rocks contacts the front surface of the gutter only after the handle projection has been rotated through an angle about its longitudinal axis.

3. The cleaning apparatus for roof gutters described in claim 1 and in which there are adjustable fastening means connecting the cleaning device to the head, the fastening means being movable to change the angle of the cleaning device with respect to the handle projection in a plane normal to the wall of the house.

4. The cleaning apparatus for roof gutters described in claim 1 and in which the bearing that contacts with the top front edge of the gutter extends away from the longitudinal axis of thehandle projection in a direction having its principal component in a horizontal plane when the apparatus is in working position with respect to a gutter to be cleaned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Popular-Science Monthly, Sept. 1938, page 68. 

